Coming Over discusses the English migration to New England in the seventeenth century and shows the importance of English connections in the lives of American colonists. David Cressy reviews the information available to prospective migrants, the decisions they had to reach and the actions necessary before they could settle in America. English men and women moved to New England with a variety of motives, and in a multitude of circumstances. 'Puritanism', involving religious harassment in England and the desire to follow God's ordinances in America, was only one of many factors impelling people to move. Rather than developing in wilderness isolation, the society and culture of seventeenth-century New England were constantly shaped by their English roots. A two-way flow of correspondence, messages and information linked colonists to their homeland. Family duties, political sympathies, friendships, business and legal obligations all led to a continuing attachment across the Atlantic. In treating early America from a British perspective, as a part of English history, Professor Cressy provides us with many insights into the seventeenth century.

Olivia Turner was pretty, smart, kind, God-fearing and hard working. She was the girl every family wanted their daughters to grow up to be like. That is until she made one mistake that would divide a small town and forever change the course of two families. A Planting Season: Volume One of the Cotton Chronicles, is a fictional account of the trials and tribulations of two families in rural South Alabama during the Great Depression. It is the story of strong women who find a way to succeed against all odds and in spite of their ne'er-do-well men. At times a raucous ride while at others a heart rending tale, A Planting Season has something for everyone. You will cheer for some characters while plotting the demise of others. As you read A Planting Season, bring a shovel and a tissue. You will need both! What the Experts Are Saying: Bravo! There is so much heart and soul in this story. So Southern... and Real! Debra Webb, USA Today Best Selling Author The opening introduction paragraph makes this instantly historical and reads easily like fiction while presenting more like light nonfiction. Setting and character descriptions are vivid... it has strong writing that creates a historical tone and narrative voice. Carly Watters, Literary Agent The Cotton Chronicles capture an important chapter in American history. The writing is nicely atmospheric. Ann Leslie Tuttle, Harlequin Senior Editor Riveting! Features well developed characters and plot you will read more than once! RC Finley, Author Reading Betty McMurtry's work is like setting a match to an Atlas rocket! Craig Allen Johnson, NY Times Best Selling Author of "The Walt Longmire Mysteries"

In Council Bluffs, Iowa she was a beloved, talented quarter horse. But when Cotton Candy Sally arrived in New York City, they started calling her a nasty, sour nag. The girls at Bernadette's riding school were afraid of her, and after bucking off her riders right onto the pavement, Sally started spending more and more time alone, with her head tethered to her stall. Couldn't anyone find a way to tame her? Twelve-year-old Kara fell in love with Sally and was determined to fix things. But her father had recently died, and her mother had no money to buy the spirited mare. Worse yet, Bernadette started talking about sending her "down the road" because she wasn't earning her keep. Where would she end up and what would happen to Kara, who finally found a way to be happy in the wake of her father's death? "Belove's attention to detail...is superb" -- "Kirkus Reviews"

From two of the greatest imaginations of our time comes a magnificent novel of adventure and magic...SHADOW MOON: First in the Chronicles of the Shadow War. The genius of Star Wars(r) creator George Lucas and the vision of Chris Claremont, the author of the phenomenally bestselling The Uncanny X-Men adventures, merge in what must be the fantasy event of the year. In Shadow Moon, war and chaos have gripped the land of Tir Asleen. An ancient prophecy reveals one hope: a savior princess who will ascend to the throne when the time is right. But first, a Nelwyn wanderer must face forces of unimaginable malevolence and dangerous, forbidden rites of necromancy that could bring back a powerful warrior from soulless sleep. George Lucas reshaped filmmaking in the '70s and '80s with his Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. When Bantam Books asked Lucas if he had any stories he would like to develop as novels rather than as films, Lucas turned to his 1988 fantasy film, Willow. "When I wrote the story for Willow, I began with the pre-story," Lucas said, "but the full story was yet to be told." Now, Lucas's vision is being fulfilled with the talented help of Chris Claremont. Having previously taken the reins of what was for a decade the bestselling comic in the western hemisphere (The Uncanny X-Men) Claremont assumes the reponsibility of foster parent to Lucas's creation. On sale in hardcover now, and available on BDD Audio Cassette as well, SHADOW MOON is a momentous new adventure for readers looking to spend part of this summer in a fantastic world. SHADOW MOON is one of Bantam Spectra's most exciting publishing events in 1995, the year we celebrate our 10th Anniversary as the premiere publishing imprint of books of speculative fiction.

Since the earliest days of colonial America, the relationship between cotton and the African-American experience has been central to the history of the republic. America's most serious social tragedy, slavery and its legacy, spread only where cotton could be grown. Both before and after the Civil War, blacks were assigned to the cotton fields while a pervasive racial animosity and fear of a black migratory invasion caused white Northerners to contain blacks in the South. Gene Dattel's pioneering study explores the historical roots of these most central social issues. In telling detail Mr. Dattel shows why the vastly underappreciated story of cotton is a key to understanding America's rise to economic power. When cotton production exploded to satiate the nineteenth-century textile industry's enormous appetite, it became the first truly complex global business and thereby a major driving force in U.S. territorial expansion and sectional economic integration. It propelled New York City to commercial preeminence and fostered independent trade between Europe and the United States, providing export capital for the new nation to gain its financial "sea legs" in the world economy. Without slave-produced cotton, the South could never have initiated the Civil War, America's bloodiest conflict at home. Mr. Dattel's skillful historical analysis identifies the commercial forces that cotton unleashed and the pervasive nature of racial antipathy it produced. This is a story that has never been told in quite the same way before, related here with the authority of a historian with a profound knowledge of the history of international finance. With 23 black-and-white illustrations.

From George Lucas, creator of Star Wars(r) and Indiana Jones, and Chris Claremont, author of the bestselling X-Men adventures, comes the thrilling sequel to Shadow Moon, taking readers deeper into a stunningly original world of magic, myth, and legend. The momentous Ascension of Princess Elora Danan should have brought peace to the Thirteen Realms. Instead, an intense Shadow War rages, spearheaded by the evil Mohdri. He has dispatched his dread Black Rose commando assassins to capture Elora and her sworn protector, Thorn Drumheller. But Mohdri himself is just a facade for a more dangerous entity: the Deceiver. But who--or what--is the Deceiver? And how can Elora, Thorn, and their ragtag band defeat this unspeakable force? The answer lies in a perilous journey to a land undisturbed since the dawn of time. A journey that will end at the unbreachable citadel of the dragon, where a chilling betrayal will change the fate of Elora, Thorn, and the Thirteen Realms forever.